Bloc to launch serviced apart-rooms
Targeting longer-stay business travellers, each room will feature a kitchenette, dining and lounge areas and a desk. A communal courtyard and glass walkways from the existing building will also be added as part of the extension.
“Apart-rooms will be perfect for the longer stay business or leisure traveller, which Bloc’s original rooms do not cater for and will complete the offering. Apart-rooms will be ideal for contract workers spending longer periods in the city, providing a higher level of comfort and luxurious facilities.
“The Bloc ethos of optimising use of space allows us to offer all the longer stay facilities you need at a very competitive price,” said the brand’s managing director Rob Morgan.
Roll-out
Morgan added that the apart-rooms would be rolled out to the brand’s future city centre builds, but won’t form part of its airport locations, such as its Gatwick site.
“The apart-rooms will be integral to Bloc’s future city centre builds, however airports are not traditionally longer-stay destinations, so there are no plans to put apart rooms within the Gatwick hotel,” he said.
Expansion plans
Bloc is looking at expanding its boutique budget concept and is “in advanced discussions regarding a number of high-profile sites”. The company operates on the basis of small, space-optimised rooms with luxury features and integrated technology to offer affordable prices.
Launched in Birmingham in 2011, the brand then opened a 245-bedroom hotel at Gatwick’s south terminal in 2013.
Its prime focus for expansion is on city centre locations and transport hubs.
“Once again Bloc is proud to announce an innovative first in its approach to the hospitality industry, which is born in Birmingham. We are excited to combine short-stay accommodation with longer-term usage serviced apart-rooms branded ‘Apartment Bloc’,” Morgan added.
Boutique budget
The boutique budget model has seen tremendous growth in the UK in recent years, with QBic, Premier Inn’s Hub and Motel One all tapping the London market.
Most recently QBic announced its intention to open two new hotels a year in the UK less than a year after opening its first hotel in London’s Shoreditch. Speaking to BigHospitality at the end of July, the company’s business development director Paul Janmaat said the venue had experienced consistent occupancy rates of about 90 per cent since the beginning.
